Former Pakistan captain and PCB chief Ramiz Raja made an astonishing claim while addressing the media on Wednesday. He targeted match referee Andy Pycroft for being biased towards Team India and slammed India captain Suryakumar Yadav for mentioning the Pahalgam terror attack and dedicating their win over Pakistan to the Indian armed forces.
Raja's remark followed the PCB's assertion that Pycroft apologized to them before the commencement of Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 final Group A match against the United Arab Emirates.
The handshake incident that spoiled the current continental tournament in the United Arab Emirates was attributed by PCB to Pycroft. It started when Indian players declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts prior to and following their Asia Cup match at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
According to India captain Suryakumar Yadav, their action was a show of support for the victims of the Pahalgam terror assault in April of this year, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians and was sponsored by Pakistan.
Pakistan accused Pycroft of preventing Salman Agha, the captain of Pakistan, from shaking hands with his Indian counterpart during the toss, a "misconduct of the highest order." With the threat of withdrawing, PCB even asked the ICC to step in and demand Pycroft's expulsion from the Asia Cup. However, their request was turned down twice.
After the Pakistan-UAE match started later than planned on Wednesday because of the ongoing dispute between the PCB and ICC, the Pakistani board is awaiting word from Islamabad over whether to proceed with their participation in the tournament.
Having refereed 90 of India's international matches, Raja informed the media outside the PCB headquarters that Pycroft has been a "permanent fixer" for the team.
“It is a win for us. It was a critical situation. Emotions were running high. I am happy that we didn't take an emotional decision. Our cricket would have been damaged if we had gone with the boycott decision. I have always believed this, that all the talking needs to be done by our cricket team. The frustration should be shown on the field, and it should inspire us to do better,” Ramiz told the media.
Raja also expressed his frustration with Suryakumar's post-match interview comments, citing the India captain's statements regarding the Pahalgam incident and dedicating the victory to the Indian Armed Forces.
“My biggest objection was what was said in the post-match presentation (by Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav). That editorial was the critical point. If the apology has come, then it's good. If cricket turns into a political ground, then nothing can be achieved. I just hope that our cricket team does better. I have always seen that Andy Pycroft is the favorite for Team India. I think he is a permanent fixer over there when it comes to the Indian team. He has officiated in 90 Indian games. This is blatant, this is one-sided, and it shouldn't happen like that. This is a neutral platform. But anyway, I just hope better sense prevails,” Raja stated.
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